Well September flew by and I’m sure for those in lockdown it is a little like Ground Hog Day. I’m fortunate to live in Queensland where we haven’t been in lockdown, although I see it coming as the positive case numbers start to grow.
My September had the lot – highs, lows and in-betweens which I suppose is what life is all about isn’t it? It is never a straight line and we all experience bumps and hills, twists and turns along the road we call ‘life’.
Let’s get the Lows out of the way first because I would rather end on a positive note!
My Lows
Fortunately, there weren’t too many but one in particular is taking it’s toll on both my husband and I. We’ve both not been well over the last 6 weeks really with a recurring cold and cough. We have COVID tests each time which are negative but we can’t seem to shake it off. I think it is due to our immune system which has been affected by stress and also I’ve been training hard for my marathon so my body is telling me to slow down.
I won’t go into too much detail but the strain caused by a family member contesting my late Mother-In-Law’s will is certainly impacting our life. My husband is the Executor so there are responsibilities not just to the beneficiaries but also to uphold his Mother’s wishes.
Being sick and legal wrangles has certainly taken me off track so I’ve decided to stop, take stock and have committed to My October Overhaul. Hopefully this will bring me back to living life with joy and doing things that bring energy to my life as well as decluttering what is negative and draining.
Now for the positives and I’m grateful that they outnumber the negatives.
My Highs
I did it!
My proudest moment during September was running my 4th full marathon (42.2km) at 64. I wrote about my experience in my post Age shouldn’t be a barrier to your dreams. I’ve now run one at 55, 61, 63 and 64 and I think that will be it. My body and the mental strength required not just on the day but the 6 months of training is a commitment I don’t want to keep moving forward. I will still keep running but not such a long distance. I was pretty pumped though!
School holiday fun
Nothing brings more joy to me than spending time with my grandsons. I see them weekly but on school holidays Nan has a sleepover and we spend two days together. I love to plan creative things to do together and adventures to take. During the first week, we went on an Adventure to Queens Park at Ipswich where we visited the Ipswich Nature Centre.
Ethan wasn’t well during Week 2 so we stayed close to home. We still had fun baking and decorating cupcakes, painting T-shirts for Halloween and making Pizzas for lunch. With a movie on the couch in the afternoon it was still a pretty good day.
Book Club & Baking
My Online Book Club is a highlight for me with a wonderful combination of discussion and more importantly a treasured friendship. I also look forward to our ‘baking’ at the end of each book. I’ve shared with you that my Book Club is studying the Bronte Sisters and at the end of each book, our resident baker in the group, provides a recipe which is relevant to the book. This time it was Bakewell Tart although we made it as a Slice. It wasn’t the healthiest but certainly it was tasty. You can find the recipe on my friend Jo Tracey’s blog The Brookford Kitchen Diaries.
If you want to see what I’ve been reading apart from Book Club you can see a list in my latest post for the What’s On Your Bookshelf Challenge?
Helping others stay Fit and Healthy
I love working with the lovely ladies in the Strong Healthy Women FitFlex community. I enjoy training them to stay fit and healthy as they age and we certainly have fun. The sessions cover strength/resistance and flexibility/balance which is vital for keeping us strong as we age. Why not come and see what it’s all about? You can Call a Coach to organise your FITFlex Experience. http://bit.ly/callacoach and also register your interest in a FREE week in the FITFlex experience.
During September I participated in Women’s Health Week presenting a 5 day Self-Love Challenge for the Strong Healthy Women community. We did daily Facebook Lives and covered topics around Heart Love, Mind Love, Strong Love, Spirit Love and Flexible Love which included Heart Health, Mental Well-being, Strength training, Spirituality and Meditation and Flexibility in our body, mind and our approach to life. I thoroughly enjoyed these presentations.
I’ve also started training some friends as part of my final practical for my Personal Training Certification. I only have 5 modules to go mainly writing a Business Plan, and I will have completed two Certifications in the last two years. One as a Group Fitness Instructor and now the additional Certification of Personal Trainer. I so look forward to these sessions and their progress as not only been amazing but I feel validated in the training I’m providing. What I’m doing is my purpose and I love it.
My Podcast
I love doing the Women Living Well After 50 Podcast and during the month I interviewed:
Lou Hamilton, Creative Director at SILK STUDIOS Podcast Guest Agency, – Becoming A Brave New Girl – How to be Fearless After 50
Peta Gillian from Strong Healthy Women – How to Build Pelvic Floor Strength – It’s all about the Core
Karen Herbert, Life Coach and co-founder of Themelios Coaching – Transitioning the Empty Nest to live your best life
Social Media Challenge
I joined Denyse Whelan for her #ShareSeptember2021 one word challenge. Each day there was a prompt of one word for us to share a revelent photo or quote. I haven’t been able to stick to these types of daily challenges for some time but I succeeded with this one, and posted for 30 days straight. Go me! You can see what I posted through my Instagram @WomenLivingWellAfter 50 or Women Living Well After 50 Facebook Page .
We are fully vaccinated
My In-Betweens
When I wasn’t on a High or experiencing a Low, I enjoyed reading and relaxing with walks by the beach. I’m hoping that the relaxing part increases during my October Overhaul.
30 Comments
Hi, Sue – Despite not feeling well, and bearing a heavy stress load, you accomplished so much this past month.
Congratulations on successfully running your 4th full marathon. (You are my hero.)
And what can be better than grandchildren time? You are a totally awesome Nan! 😀
Thank you my lovely friend. My September was definitely full of highs and of course spending time with my E1 & E2 is always delightful. xx
Amazing achievements, despite not feeling well and terrible stress. You’re a real inspiration, Sue. Toni x
Hi Toni, I think you would understand how life can be a roller coaster. Thank you for your beautiful words of encouragement xx
Hi Sue – sorry you haven’t been feeling well – and you’re right that sometimes our bodies tell us to slow down for a while and re-group. I’m looking forward to seeing how you tackle that process over October. I wrote my quarterly taking stock post this week and accomplished much less in three months than you did in one! Congrats on the marathon and on heading towards the finish line in your next certification…..and those grandboys are gorgeous x
It won’t be easy to slow down that’s for sure, Leanne, but I will try. Life has certainly changed hasn’t it? Once you had a cold and ‘soldiered on’. Now you have a cold, have to have a COVID test and then get to see the doctor. I was pretty pumped finishing the marathon and yes, the boys are just my shining lights. xx
Sue, I can’t imagine running a marathon at any age, and certainly not while experiencing both mental and physical stress. You are the poster child of ‘strong and fit’ over 60! Family stress is the absolute worst kind and I wish you the very best while working through it. Having those grandchildren around will certainly help. Take care and have a wonderful week.
Thank you for your lovely words of encouragement, Suzanne. I probably let my heart rule my head going ahead with the marathon whilst still in recovery mode and I wouldn’t advise others to do that. I just felt that it was probably my last and I needed to do it for me. My grandsons are the lights of my life and I enjoy our school holiday activities and thinking up new experiences to share with them. xx
Congratulations, Sue, on your marathon and other achievements in September despite not feeling 100%. Your grandsons are adorable. You sure know how to show them your love. I hope October brings you and Mike good health, joyful moments and less stress..
thank you Natalie. September was probably not too bad when I look back at my post. I think the ongoing family drama is what is taking it’s toll but I do have my adorable grandsons as a wonderful distraction. xx
I should check out your fitness community and workouts. I know Jo loves them.
Congratulations on the marathon – such a huge achievement. Hopefully if you’re able to take it easier for a while the lurgy that’s been ailing you will disappear?
And I have been seeing some of the lovely pics of you with your grandkids on social media. What a special time that is in their life – not to mention yours!
Hi Deb, I’m loving working with my three ladies in the workouts and yes Jo is really doing well and smashing her goals. I agree I need to rest now and I’m not feeling too bad at the moment, although now Mike is down with it again and it just seems to be going back and forth between us. I’m very lucky to be able to spend time with my grandsons who I adore (as you probably have guessed) and it is such a special time creating memories together. xx
You are such a star Sue and inspire many of us to do things we normally wouldn’t think about doing. Your grandchildren are so lucky to have you in their life. We all did well on the monthly instagram challenge with denyse, it was fun seeing what each of us shared each day. Hoping you feel better soon. Thanks for all you do! #lifethisweek
Oh Deb, you always make me feel a million dollars! Thank you for always being their and being such a supportive friend. xx
I am sorry to hear about the will. That’s a lot of stress (and the colds – as you have to keep getting the tests and notice every tiny little change!) Anyway, I’m very glad you had a good month otherswise!!
Hi Lydia, yes it is very disappointing when a person’s last wishes are challenged. Fingers crossed it will be finalised sooner rather than later as it is quite stressful and an emotional time. I always enjoy the school holidays with my grandsons and I don’t take for granted how lucky I am that I get to see them every week. Take care and hopefully lockdown will soon be over. xx
Well done doing the marathon! Hope October will be a month of rest for you.
Hi Susanne, thanks for your congratulations and yes, I’m taking a step back in October in a few areas of my life. Take care and enjoy your week. x
Congrats on your achievement! Other than feeling so poorly it does sound like you had a great month. Those grandsons of yours are adorable and they look like they are having lots of fun. I hope everything dies down with the will; it’s amazing how much strife that can cause.
Hi Joanne, yes I really can’t complain. When I look back at my post there were certainly many more ‘highs’ than ‘lows’ for which I’m very grateful. Enjoy your week and thanks for visiting. x
So much to love in this post but firstly I’m sorry to hear you’ve been dealing with a few lows. I hope your highs manage to compensate a little. Big congratulations on getting two certifications down be, especially during Covid. I enjoyed your instagram challenge photos.
Hi Jen, yes my highs did compensate for the lows and I really do have very little to complain about. I think when you are feeling sick, the ‘lows’ seem much worse than they really are. x
Hi Sue, so sorry to hear you’ve not been feeling well lately. I know what a pain it is being unwell especially these days where you feel obliged to have a Covid test on top of everything else. Your little grandsons are gorgeous. I can imagine the joy they bring to your life. I hope that one day I will have some grandchildren (or grandchild) too. I’m sorry about the family stress. I hope it is sorted and behind you soon. It’s good that you know when to take a step back and lighten the load a little. We all need to do that now and then. Hope you have a great week! xo
P.S. Forgot to mention the marathon! You have every right to be very proud of yourself for this achievement. I don’t know how you do it but well done to you!
Thanks, Min! Yes, I believe it will be my last full marathon so I was pretty pleased to cross that finish line! x
Hi Min, thanks for your lovely words of encouragement. Your 100 day project and your amazing talent has been a highlight of my day, so thank you. x
Life is, as you say, textured. The lows are low indeed, but those highs? Just fabulous. So proud of your marathon…so proud.
Thanks so much for your encouraging words and yes my highs certainly outweighed the lows. x
Isn’t blogging a great place to share your stories and to recount how life has been…the lows, the ups and everywhere in between.
I congratulate you on the personal win in terms of the run. And of course, being the Nan you love as well and sending my best to you and Mike and hope that the virus/cold/whatever finally go.
The stress of a legal matter should never be under estimated in health…it’s not good at all.
I know how important your study and work is towards your goals and send congratulations on all you are doing.
Great to have you link up for #lifethisweek. Next week, the optional prompt is Water. See you at Denyse Whelan Blogs then too I hope. Denyse.
Hi Denyse, my September had it all but looking back there were certainly many more highs than lows, so I’m counting my blessings. x